Wednesday Warehouse Waiver Wire

At Dynasty Football Warehouse, we like to make sure are readers are well aware of certain lesser known players that may be available on the waiver wire in your dynasty leagues. DFW’s Shawn Gallagher is here to help spotlight those players that could end up being great waiver wire pickups for your dynasty team, and hopefully help you team to win many league championships in the future! We like to have fun with our columns, so in addition to highlighting several waiver wire pickups, we also like to include fun things like music videos and photos in the column to help add entertainment value to the column. Before we get started here are a few quick notes regarding the waiver wire column.

The Waiver Wire pickups that are mentioned here are recommended with deeper dynasty leagues in mind, and some of these pickups may not be the best for redraft leagues or leagues without a lot of roster space.

This is an attempt to predict future dynasty success for a player, so that dynasty owners can grab these players now, hopefully before they become too popular.

Some of these players mentioned could already be on a dynasty roster, but could very well be acquired cheaply in a trade, possibly even a throw-in in a larger deal.

With dynasty in mind, we try to highlight quite a few younger players here, however, there will still be some older players on the wire that could help dynasty rosters for at least the next few years.

Wednesday Warehouse Waiver Wire

Scott Tolzien (Packers @ Giants) – While Matt Flynn rumors turned into reality this past week when the Packers signed the veteran backup quarterback, it is important to take a look at the Pack’s current starting quarterback Scott Tolzien. Tolzien actually performed admirably this past week in relief quarterback duty after Seneca Wallace was lost due to injury. Tolzien is a 26 year old local Wisconsin product who could get a few weeks of starts for the Pack while Rodgers is out. My guess is that even with the Matt Flynn is signing in Green Bay, the Pack will wait for Tolzien to struggle before considering switching to Flynn, as Flynn doesn’t seem to be the same quarterback the Pack thought they had just a few short years ago.

John Skelton (Dynasty Stash) – 25 year old former Arizona Cardinal and Fordham starting quarterback John Skelton’s name resurfaced this week as it was reported that the Packers and another team were planning on working Skelton out. Skelton possesses a nice skill set, and at 6 foot 6, he certainly has the size and arm strength to compete at the NFL level. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Skelton getting another chance with a team sometime soon, as I don’t think he was really given a fair shot earlier in his career when he started a few games for the Arizona Cardinals. Dynasty owners looking for quarterback depth could roll the dice on John Skelton, as he just might get “one more chance” at being an NFL quarterback before its all said and done.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (Titans vs. Colts) – The Titans lost both starting quarterback Jake Locker, and an actual NFL game to the Jacksonville Jaguars this past week!!! Super-backup Ryan Fitzpatrick is a waiver wire name to watch once again, as the former Harvard quarterback could end up as the Titans starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Its unclear right now if Locker is the long-term answer at quarterback in Tennessee, but Fitzpatrick makes for a quality backup option to use in the meantime, and has had previous starting quarterback experience in recent years.

Josh McCown (Bears vs. Ravens) – Josh McCown filled in admirably with Jay Cutler out these past few weeks, and looks like McCown will get some more starts for the Bears these next few weeks. McCown is a good quarterback to own anyway, with the frequency of some of Cutler’s injuries, and will have quality weapons like Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall at his disposal once again.

Ray Graham (Texans vs. Raiders) – With the Texans running game becoming a mess these past few weeks after Arian Foster was ruled out for the season, some new faces have been signed and/or promoted in Houston. One back to look out for is former Pitt running back Ray Graham, who looked very promising in college, but tore his ACL at Pitt, and ended up going undrafted after that. Graham flashed NFL workhorse back potential during his Pitt days before suffering his ACL injury, and just might be getting his chance this season in Houston, with starter Ben Tate now struggling with injuries.

Andre Brown (Giants vs. Packers) – Running Back Andre Brown made his 2013 debut this week for the Giants, after recovering from a fractured leg going back to the preseason. Brown responded with over 100 yards rushing, and clearly outplayed fellow running back Peyton Hillis in this past week’s win over the Raiders. With David Wilson now out for the season for the Giants, Andre Brown has a big opportunity to solidify himself as the featured back of the Giants in the second half of the 2013 season.

Bobby Rainey (Bucs vs. Falcons) – After losing both starting running backs Doug Martin and Mike James due to injuries, things couldn’t be looking much worse for the Bucs running game right now, as (you guessed it) former Rutgers running back Brian Leonard now stands on top of the Bucs running back depth chart. Look for recent signee Bobby Rainey to get more touches going forward for the Bucs, with the possibility that Rainey eventually overtakes Leonard at the top of the depth chart. The 26 year old Rainey has shown some versatility and pass catching ability during his career, and could be worth a look for running back needy owners for the stretch run of this season.

Mark Ingram (Sell High) – Patient Dynasty owners were finally rewarded this past week when Mark Ingram had a breakout game on Sunday Night Football! While it was encouraging to see Ingram finally looking good, we’ve been teased quite a bit by Ingram and his potential these past three years. I’d suggest trying to find an owner excited over Ingram’s performance this past week and go ahead and sell him to that owner. The Dallas defense that Ingram performed well against was really depleted and wasn’t a very good defense to begin with. Go ahead and “Sell Out” on Mark Ingram.

Armanti Edwards (Browns @ Bengals) – Recent Browns signee, wide receiver Armanti Edwards has now had some bye week time to catch up on the Cleveland playbook in head coach Rob Chudzinski’s offense. Chudzinski coached Edwards last season in Carolina, and the coach has always had high praise for the former Appalachian State quarterback who has been used at multiple positions in Carolina, and now Cleveland. Edwards should have a larger role for the Browns this coming week, and has big playmaking ability as well.

Chris Hogan (Bills vs. Jets) – Undrafted wide receiver and former Lacrosse player Chris Hogan made a splash last season in Miami on the TV show HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in his battle to make in the NFL. Now in Buffalo a season later, Hogan is getting another opportunity, as starting wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods are nursing injuries. Dynasty owners in deeper leagues should take a chance on Hogan, who earned the nickname “7-11” a year ago in Dolphins camp, because he “was always open”.

Rishard Matthews (Dolphins vs. Chargers) – Despite all the turmoil in Miami regarding their offense this past week, one bright spot that emerged after the Monday night loss was the breakout game of wide receiver Rishard Matthews. Matthews is a polished slot receiver out of Nevada, who has developed strong chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill as of late, and nice hands. Matthews is a nice PPR dynasty add, as his ability to catch shorter passes and move the chains could really help dynasty owners going forward. His big week will likely make him very popular on the wire this week, but he’s at least worth looking into for owners with a chance at signing him.

Riley Cooper (Eagles vs. Redskins) – Eagles receiver Riley Cooper has come a long way these past few weeks with new quarterback Nick Foles. Cooper has become easily one of the top targeted receivers for Foles and has responded with some very big games as of late. Cooper’s wild training camp in which he was seen on camera uttering a racial slur at a concert seems to be something that both Cooper and his teammates have overcome. In this case its seems like big catches, yards, touchdowns, and wins can help players like Cooper overcome their mistakes of the past.

Da’Rick Rogers (Colts @ Titans) – Undrafted Tennessee Tech wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers was recently promoted from the Colts’ practice squad this week, and could be getting a larger role in the Colts offense with Andrew Luck going forward. Rogers is a speedy talent at wide receiver, who went undrafted mainly due to character concerns coming out of college. If Rogers can keep his head on straight, he could be quite a bargain for patient dynasty owners, and hopefully we don’t have to hear about “Where his head’s at” going forward!

Ryan Griffin (Texans vs. Raiders) – With Owen Daniels nursing injuries this season, others have had to fill in the void for the Texans at the tight end position. One intriguing rookie tight end is former Connecticut tight end Ryan Griffin. Griffin has been working alongside Garrett Graham in two tight end sets for Houston, and has seen his role in the offense increase as his rookie season continues. Griffin is a 6 foot 6 former basketball player with natural leaping skills, who is certainly worth monitoring in deeper dynasty leagues going forward.

Vance McDonald (49ers @ Saints) – The 49er offense has struggled as of late, and the team lost both starting tight end Vernon Davis and a game to the Carolina Panthers this past week, in which their offense was really shut down. Rookie tight end Vance McDonald should see his targets increase in the next few weeks with Vernon Davis expected to miss some time. The 49ers were very high on the former Rice tight end going back to the 2013 NFL draft even with Davis in the fold, I could see McDonald having a breakout sometime later this season.

Levine Toilolo ( Falcons @ Bucs) – With the great Tony Gonzalez finishing out his final season in the NFL, one deeper dynasty option to look at is backup tight end Levine Toilolo. Toilolo is a massive 6 foot 8 inch rookie out of Stanford, who is starting to get some more targets in the Atlanta offense right now. Toilolo should get more of a look for the remainder of this season, as the Falcons try and decide if Toilolo is their tight end of the future. Having Tony Gonzalez as his mentor can only help this rookie out as well, and Toilolo is worth a deeper dynasty stash.

Browns Defense (@ Bengals) – Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense has really struggled these past few weeks, as Dalton has 6 interceptions in his past two games! The Browns defense is coming of a bye week, and recently shut the Bengals offense down earlier this season. The Browns and their D have a real chance to make a statement in Cincinnati this week.

Giants Defense (vs. Packers) – Normally I don’t recommend defenses going against the Green Bay Packers, but in this case I’d take a chance on the Giants. The Giants need this game to keep their playoff hopes going, and I like their defense being able to force some turnovers against the Packers considering that this should be Scott Tolzien’s first ever road NFL start. A lackluster Eagles defense shut down the Pack just a week ago in Green Bay as well.

Great stuff Shawn. Maybe Cooper had good reason to be pissed at Vick (not justifying the racial slur) but if Vick was going away from him and Cooper felt he was getting cock-blocked by Vick it “could” explain why he was so mad enough to say what he said. In comes Foles… and BOOM

Shawn

Thanks Dan appreciate the love!! Cooper sure exploded with the switch to Foles, this is probably what Andy Reid envisioned if they had kept him in Philly.

Vincent

So dang good.

Shawn

Thanks Vincent, its much appreciated!!!

sixshooter

Good call on Da’Rick Rogers. He is certainly worth a look with the Colts looking for another WR. I had him on my P/U list Tuesday but had no bid bucks so had to wait til’ this morning hoping nobody bid on him which they did not but I was like 3 minutes too late once the waiver opened up at 7am. I honestly didn’t think anyone who did not bid on him would wait til’ this morning to get him but I was wrong!

Shawn

Thanks!! Rogers certainly has the talent to make it in the league, and if he figures it out he’ll have Andrew Luck throwing to him.